A lack of resources and poorly trained teachers creates a situation in the primary school system in the Dominican Republic where many students drop out not because of intelligence, but because of simple learning disabilities. This is the reality in a small community whose school’s mission is to "create an efficient, high-quality education that opens up students' opportunities in the future.” The school completes its first school year this June, and enrollment for next year is expected to be thirty students. Most of the students exhibit some form of learning deficit. Many of the students were in public schools but dropped out because their needs were unattended. As a clinical psychologist, the school’s founder gives specialized care to the students. Three other women from the community help the founder run the school.

This project’s objectives are to improve the infrastructure of the school, train the other teachers, and integrate the parents with the school's development. We request funds that will be used to purchase student desks, a teacher's desk, chalkboards, and a filing cabinet. We will also purchase paint and plywood to make a world-map mural on one of the walls. Funds will allow us to purchase materials needed to evaluate students with learning abilities. Therapeutic tests and games will allow the psychologist to better understand individual students' learning disabilities. The community contribution is the labor that the teachers and psychologist give free-of-charge, rent that is not collected, transportation, and labor to give the workshop.